Question: What is the new Category II section in CPT, and how should we use it?
Answer: CPT Codes 2004 introduces the Category II code section, but these codes probably won't add anything to your reimbursement. The Category II codes track performance measurements. The AMA intends to use these codes to collect data about quality of care.
- You Be the Coder and Reader Questions were reviewed by Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-H, CCS, director and senior instructor for the CRN Institute, an online coding certification training center.
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Using Category II codes is optional, and you may not substitute them for the regular Category I CPT codes. Suppose you're trying to track the use of smoking-cessation counseling on your pulmonary rehab patients and you don't have an electronic health record. Reporting one of the new smoking-cessation Category II codes, such as 0004F (Tobacco use cessation intervention, counseling) or 0005F (Tobacco use cessation intervention, pharmacologic therapy), will allow you to do this through your claims-data or practice-management software rather than through chart reviews.
Make sure you still report the counseling Category I code, such as 99401 (Preventive medicine counseling and/or risk factor reduction intervention[s] provided to an individual [separate procedure]; approximately 15 minutes) linked to ICD-9 code 989.84 (Toxic effect of other substances, chiefly nonmedicinal as to source; tobacco).